An online early cognitive stimulation programme innovated by the University of the West Indies Mona campus is one of 14 projects awarded grant funding by Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada.
 
Grand Challenges gave a total of $10.1 million to the 14 bold, creative projects which are all aimed at improving the early brain development of children in low-resource countries.Projects in Jamaica, Colombia, Bangladesh and Indonesia are scale-up award nominees (board-approved grants up to CDN $2 million, pending successful contract negotiations).
The grant awarded to University of West Indies wil help the the Tropical Medicine Research Institute (TMRI) put online a proven, early cognitive stimulation programme to help children in developing countries.
 
A package of low-cost materials proven to help early cognitive stimulation will be made available online to support in-home interventions by community workers in developing countries, thanks to this project led by Professor Susan Walker and Dr. Christine Powell at the Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of West Indies.  The materials can be used despite limited training by any qualified person (NGO, international agency, local government department) and include a curriculum, training manuals, books, play materials, and training videos, all tailored to the children’s culture.
 
The curriculum being placed online is the product of years of work pioneering the foundation for early childhood development in low resource settings.  The web-based package is expected to provide skills and materials for 10 countries to adapt and implement the home cognitive stimulation package.
 
 “Impoverished brains result in impoverished countries,” says Dr. Peter A. Singer, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada.  “For a wide range of sad, all-too-familiar and preventable reasons, an estimated 200 million children under 5 years old in the world’s 112 low- and middle-income countries will fail to reach their brain’s full development potential.”
 
“These projects illustrate well the success of our search for ‘bold ideas with big impact,‘ pioneering new approaches worldwide to maximize the number of kids in low-resource countries who achieve and contribute to their fullest capabilities.”
 
Says Mrs. Laureen Harper, honourary chairperson of the program: “The Grand Challenges Canada Saving Brains program is designed to help millions of children in developing countries who fail to reach their full development potential due to such factors as malnutrition, infection, birth complications, or a lack of nurturing and stimulation at an early age.”
 
Says the Honourable Christian Paradis, Canadian Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie: “Our Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Harper,  is committed to advancing the health of the world's most vulnerable mothers, newborns and children. We are proud to partner with Grand Challenges Canada to find innovative solutions to the most pressing global health challenges. The Saving Brains program is just one example of how innovation can help improve the lives of children in their earliest days. ”